Report 602
Report #602 Skillset: Crow Skill: Squall Org: Spiritsingers Status: Completed May 2011 Furies' Decision: Changed to 2p outside of Crowform, 1p inside. Problem: Unlike its counter abilities of Scissorflip(5p) and Whirlwind(3p) Squall in its current form allows Crow users to repel enemies and allies from the room with no cost to them besides a short loss of balance resulting in dispersing large groups with little effort or loss. While repelling allies as well as enemies is its only downfall, I believe it should come with a power cost like the other abilities of its nature. 0 R: 0 Solution #1: Add a 5p power cost to Squall, 3p in Crowform. 0 R: 0 Solution #2: Add a 5p power cost to Squall, 3p in Crowform and have it strike personal enemies only and work in distorted areas. 0 R: 0 Solution #3: Add a 4p power cost to Squall, 2p in Crowform. Player Comments: ---on 4/21 @ 21:56 writes: This skill is just fine in its current format. It does not go through walls. You cannot use it with your group or it messes you up. We do not need another carbon-copy of existing skills (gee, doesn't that make the game so interesting when everything is the same?) and the reason is has no power cost is because it hits your allies. Further, scissor and such work inside distort, while Squall does not-- another reason for the power cost. Essentially this is a "I don't like how this skill works and instead of actually working around it by putting up walls, I'd rather just nerf it so I don't have to deal with it." ---on 4/21 @ 22:11 writes: Now, consider this. For 0p you have skills like Chainyank (Magnagora), Beckon (cities), and the like. These skills cost 0p to spam. They can be done in near complete safety. You do not have to go into the enemy group, you are not being attacked / hindered / killed while you just spam away at everyone in the group next door. And if Distort is up you don't even have to worry about Rad! (Or Squall, actually). Spamming these skills to break up groups appears to be perfectly fine and not worth putting any kind of power cost on. Why, exactly, do you feel like you need to address another skill that is used for group splitting but has the following tradeoff-- 1) It affects more people, while 2) Often getting you dead as well as being blocked by any number of afflictions that the big angry group looking at you is going to be piling on? ---on 4/24 @ 23:11 writes: I'm concerned about squall mostly under shrine gravity, where it gusting allies does not balance the playing field. In gravity, it remains an extremly powerful tool, making it possble to scatter an entire group, more or less permanently, as they have to struggle against gravity. 5p is too much for this skill in my opinion, but it needs to not be as spammable. It's also an extremly good opener, when your group is shielded, which you neglected to mention. ---on 4/24 @ 23:39 writes: In regards to the report itself, the suggested solutions are poorly thought out considering the range the abilities Squall is being compared to like Scissorflip and Whirlwind. They cost power, yes, but they a) also only affect enemies and as well b) work in distort. If a true equilibrium is being sought out, then the same benefits must be applied to Squall if the suggested added limitations be met. In regards to Enyalida, the same group separation tactic can be applied when the defenders with gravity on their side have scissorflip or whirlwind to boost them. The fact that in this instance, they wouldn't have to have their own allies regroup themselves is a further advantage to them, so the comparison isn't equal either. ---on 4/24 @ 23:40 writes: And yet Shrine Distort stops it -completely-. It does not work if shrine distort is up against anyone who is affected by that shrine (or if that shrine is affecting the squaller). You mention it being more powerful in gravity (one shrine effect) while ignoring that another War shrine effect is even more effective at stopping it entirely. As to an opener, that apparently has nothing at all to do with 'spamming' it, eh? Though I personally have other things to be doing than squalling when the enemy group comes in, because at that point my group is -not- all shielded... they are all fighting, having shields removed, etc. The side that enters has the foreknowledge of knowing precisely when they are moving, unlike the defending side, has the advantage in terms of striking first blows. ---on 4/25 @ 01:13 writes: I think it's interesting that people are arguing that, because squall works on allies, it should be better when it's oftentimes used to save allies. I think it's a bit wrong to compare it to scissorflip or whirlwind, but I'm in favour of making to work of enemies list at the very least. More details later when I have time. ---on 4/25 @ 02:26 writes: Not throwing allies around would help save those allies much more effectively, especially since it would leave your entire group there while nobody else is. And not have a high chance of throwing your allies into the next room along with those same enemies who are trying to kill them. However, I don't personally see a need to make the skill a mirror image of an Acrobatics ability. Not everything needs to be the same, and Squall definitely has its own downsides which would -have- to be addressed if a power cost is added (enemy list, distort blocking are the primary ones). Like I said, I prefer it having its own unique flavour. ---on 5/13 @ 16:43 writes: I'm still on the stance that if the report calls for Squall to be brought down for equality's sake, then for those proposed power costs, Squall should be able to work in distort, let alone be enemy only as the things it is being compared to are. ---on 5/16 @ 13:14 writes: Squall is fine. There are abundant counters (distort, walls, barrier) and it can't be targetted to remove a specific enemy, nor to save a specific ally. ---on 5/18 @ 15:17 writes: The power cost suggested in solutions 1 and 3 is too high for an ability that can prove to be a double-edged sword, in that it removes allies as well as enemies. Solution 2 changes squall into scissorflip - I prefer to keep it as a different skill.